Dispenser for carton contents



Dec. 7, 1954 R, MEYER 2,696,329

DISPENSER FOR CARTON CONTENTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 21, 1949 Snoentor Pace-n1- 7'? MEYER v M, Lrmam LL2 Gttomegg United States Patent 2,696,329 DISPENSER FOR CARTON CONTENTS Robert T. Meyer, Green Bay, Wis. Application September 21, 1949, Serial No. 116,917 3 Claims. (Cl. 221-298) My invention relates to improvements in dispensers for carton contents.

The object of my invention is to provide a dispenser into which an entire carton filled with dispensable items may be fitted and from which single items out of the carton may be dispensed.

Another object of my invention is to provide a dispenser which may be adjusted from its normal dispensing position to a carton receiving position when refill is necessary.

A further object of my invention is to provide means in a dispenser for individual items to be fed from a hopper, whereby the hopper contents are held in the hopper while an individual item is being dispensed.

Further objects will be apparent from the following description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective of my dispenser with a carton in position for a dispensing operation.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but showing a dispensing lever in dispensing position and with an individual item partially ejected from the dispenser.

Figure 3 is a perspective of my dispenser apparatus in position for a carton receiving operation, portions of my dispenser being shown fragmentarily.

Figure 4 is a detail in horizontal section, showing my contractile retainer for carton contents and showing a portion of the actuator therefor. s

Figure 5 is a front elevation of my dispenser, certain of the operating elements being shown in dotted lines.

Figure 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a section on line 7-7 of Figure 5, but showing a carton of individual items in position in the dispenser, the operating mechanism with its handle being in dispensing position.

Figure 8 is a plan view of my dispenser.

Like parts are designated by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

In the following description I shall exemplify the use of my invention with a rectangular carton of rolled, gummed tape items, but it will be understood that my dispenser may be shaped to receive cartons of different dimensions and used to dispense items from such cartons which have different physical characteristics.

In factories and other places where packaging operations require immediately accessible quantities of gummed tape, the rolls of tape must be held in storage, shielded from dust and dirt but readily dispensible immediately adjacent the place where the gummed tape is to be used. I, therefore, provide my gummed tape dispenser 10 as a wall or table mounted apparatus. The lower boxlike dispensing chamber 11 and the upper hopperlike carton receiver 12 are mounted by means of a hinge and latch apparatus, shown most clearly in Figure 3. Apertured ears 13 extending rearwardly from the dispenser 10 receive a pintle 14 carried by a pair of brackets 15 mountable upon a wall. Spaced above the brackets 15 and likewise mounted upon the wall are brackets 16 to carry a cranklike pintle 17 upon which are rigidly mounted latches 18 so that as the crank end 19 of the pintle 17 is oscillated, the latches 18 oscillate with it. Thus, when the dispenser is hingedly swung upon pintle 14 to the position shown in Figure 6, crank 19 may be oscillated so as to present latches 18 in position to be received in latch openings 20 in the rear face of dispenser. The latches will then hold the d15- penser 10 in erect position somewhat spaced from the wall, as shown in Figure 6. If it is desired that the dispenser 2,696,329 Patented Dec. 7, 1954 remain in an upright position, and that the receiver 12 shall be the only part of my device which shall swing for the loading operation, the receiver may be hingedly mounted on the dispenser.

Carton receiving hopper 12, shaped to receive a carton 25, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 7 may be hingedly disposed in the position shown in Figure 3, so that the carton, previously opened by the removal of the top or bottom of the carton may be inserted with facility, even though the items in the carton are readily displaceable. The carton having been slidably inserted in the carton receiving hopper 12, the dispenser may be swung to the position shown in Figure 7.

Within the dispensing chamber 11 and at the upper part thereof to receive the weight of the items tending to descend by gravity from carton 25, I provide a contractile item support 30 shown most clearly in Figures 4, 6 and 8 where it will be seen that this item support 30 is a clamplike band 31, weight supported by bracket 32 which leaves the contractile band 31 free to open and close for release or retension of the items. Free margins 33 and 34 of the contractile band 31 are provided with cam brackets 35 and 36 respectively, and these brackets with their respective band ends are urged in contracting direction by springs 37 and 38, guided by rods 39.

Below the item support 30 in the dispensing chamber 11, a dispensing tray 45 is pivoted at the back of the chamber at 46 so that it may swing from a horizontal position, as shown in Figure6 to a position on an incline, as in Figure 7, to dispense an item through dispensing opening 47 in the forward wall 48 of the dispensing chamber.

A mechanism under the control of an operating handle 50 accomplishes a complete dispensing operation. Rock shaft 51 is keyed to this handle and provides the axis about which the handle swings to the various positions shown in the drawings. The inner end of rock shaft 51 is provided with a band opening cam 52 disposed between the cam brackets 35 and 36. Tray arm 53 keyed to the rock shaft 51 is connected by tray link 54 with the tray 45, as shown in Figures 6 and 7. Since cam 52 has two lobes it will be seen that the single motion of lever 50 from the position shown in Figure 6 to the position shown in Figure 7 will permit the springs 37 and 38 to close the item support 30 and at the same time will hingedly lower tray 45 to a position shown in Figure 7. The return of the lever to the Figure 6 position will raise the tray to horizontal position and will spread the item support 30 to its open position.

The operation of my dispenser is therefore as follows: Assuming that the apparatus is disposed as shown in Figure 3, the user of my dispenser will cut the end from a carton 25 and thrust the open end of the carton into the carton receiving hopper 12. Using the carton as a lever, the entire apparatus may be swung about pintle 14 to the position shown in Figure 6 and the lever end 19 of pintle may be used to position latches 18 in alignment with latch apertures 20 to perform a latching operation in the final movement of the apparatus to its upper position.

As the items 55 in the carton 25 descend by gravity, they are retained by the tray 45 in readiness for a dispensing operation. When the operator swings handle 50 to the position shown in Figure 2, the lobes of cam 52 will cease to bear against the cam brackets 35 and 36 and the contractile item support 30 will clampingly hold the particular item 55 which is positioned within it. At the same time the item immediately supported by tray 45 is permitted slidably to be dispensed as shown in Figures 2 and 7. Upon return of handle 50 to the position shown in Figure 1, tray 45 is again returned to horizontal position and the contractile item support 30 is opened to permit the next item 55 and the items thereabove to descend upon the tray 45.

Thus, items 55 are stored conveniently at the location where they will be needed and they will be safely housed against accumulation of dust and dirt. The dispensing mechanism is reduced to a minimum of size and bulk since the carton supplies the housing necessary. Refill of the dispenser is a conveniently handled operation, since the dispenser is readily adjusted to a position in which the contents of the hopper will not spill while a new carton and its load of units is being inserted.

I claim:

1. A dispenser comprising a storage compartment, a dispenser chamber beneath the storage compartment and having a dispenser opening through which a dispensed unit is accessible, a tray partitioning the storage compartment from the dispenser chamber, said tray comprising a floor on which the dispensible units in the storage compartment are normally supported, said tray having a mounting on which the tray may be lowered for registration of a dispensible unit thereon with the opening in the dispenser chamber, a contractile band above the level of the floor and adjacent the dispensible unit next above the dispensible unit resting on the floor, resilient means biasing said band toward contraction upon the uppermost of said units, cam means holding said band open against the bias of said resilient means to permit normal descent of dispensible units toward said tray, a lever for lowering the floor in a dispensing cycle, and a connection from said lever to said cam means to release the cam means to permit contraction of the band when the floor is lowered whereby said band supports all units above the lowermost unit while the lowermost unit is lowered on said floor to a position when it is dispensible through said opening and until the floor is returned to support position between the storage compartment and dispenser chamber.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the contractile band has free ends, a mounting on a wall of said storage chamber connected to said band intermediate said free 4 ends and springs comprising said resilient means and normally urging said free ends toward each other.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the connection from said lever to said cam means comprises a link between said cam means and said tray, the tray mounting comprising a pivot on a wall or" the dispenser chamber opposite the dispenser opening whereby actuation of said cam means actuates the link to positively lower the tray about said pivot simultaneously with the contraction of the band.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 831,082 Laraway Sept. 18, 1906 1,093,976 Claussen Apr. 21, 1914 1,249,141 Litchfield Dec. 4, 1917 1,794,700 McCaskey Mar. 3, 1931 1,816,341 Petersen July 28, 1931 1,963,621 Geyer June 19, 1934 2,427,335 Antonia et al. Sept. 16, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 613,910 France Dec. 2, 1926 296,849 Great Britain Sept. 13, 1928 336,324 Great Britain Oct. 16, 1930 642,052 France May 1, 1928 

